MRI: Acquisition of a BD Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer for Multidiciplinary Undergraduate Research

流式细胞术已成为生物学和生化研究中不可或缺的工具，因为它结合了荧光显微镜的多功能性和基于定量群体的方法的强度。这项NSF MRI奖为购买一台BD Accuri C6流式细胞仪提供资金，以介绍和扩大流式细胞仪在伯明翰南方学院（BSC）的使用。Accuri C6流式细胞仪结构紧凑，具有成本效益，能够进行复杂的细胞荧光和计数分析，在台式设备中提供全尺寸流式细胞仪的功能，对于本科生研究项目非常重要。该仪器的多功能性将有助于化学和生物系的本科生研究人员在各种广泛的应用中使用它。该仪器将用于定量评估细菌、酵母和哺乳动物细胞的细胞荧光。特别是，流式细胞术将用于解决生物学和化学中的重要问题，例如了解裂糖酵母调节膜运输和控制细胞周期进程的机制，金黄色葡萄球菌铁摄取途径的表征，以及酿酒酵母复杂鞘脂稳态与细胞生理学之间相互作用的研究。CSampler®附件将进一步允许BSC研究人员进行高通量荧光分析，以进行大规模筛选和鉴定新的研究途径。重要的是，该仪器易于设置和使用，使本科水平的研究人员可以使用流式细胞术。流式细胞术使研究人员能够在几分钟内快速量化数千个单个细胞的荧光水平，提供有关细胞群的定量信息，可用于解决许多重要的生物学和生化研究问题。流式细胞仪的引入将影响伯明翰南方学院的本科教育，这是一所大约有1300名学生的本科文理学院，在生物和化学方面享有盛誉。一般来说，每届新生中有三分之一的人对科学感兴趣。虽然主要用于本科生研究，但由于(1)理学士学院所有自然科学专业的研究要求和(2)将研究整合到理学士学院的课程中，该工具将对教学，培训和学习产生重大影响。S教学实验室。我们密集的高级研究项目是BSC自然科学的最大优势之一。这些专业的每个毕业生必须从事至少两个学期的研究。该仪器将为高级研究生提供利用学院目前没有的重要技术的机会。获得这种流式细胞仪也将显著影响学生报名参加生物和化学课程。流式细胞术将被纳入荣誉细胞与分子生物学、遗传学、细胞生物学和生物化学的研究型实验室，使学生在这些课程中接触到流式细胞术数据的收集和分析。学生将获得流式细胞术的实践经验，影响BSC的绝大多数科学专业。

Flow cytometry has become an integral tool in biological and biochemical research because it combines the versatility of fluorescence microscopy with the strength of quantitative population-based methods. This NSF MRI award provides funds for the purchase of a BD Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer to introduce and expand the use of flow cytometry at Birmingham-Southern College (BSC). Important for use in an undergraduate research program, the Accuri C6 flow cytometer is compact, cost-effective, and capable of complex cellular fluorescence and counting analyses, supplying the functionality of a full-scale cytometer in a table-top apparatus. The versatility of this instrument will facilitate its use by undergraduate researchers in the Chemistry and Biology Departments in a variety of broad applications. The instrument will be used to quantitatively assess cellular fluorescence of bacteria, yeast, and mammalian cells. In particular, flow cytometry will be used to address important questions in biology and chemistry, such as understanding the mechanisms that regulate membrane trafficking and control cell cycle progression in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, characterization of iron uptake pathways in Staphylococcus aureus, and investigation of the interactions between complex sphingolipid homeostasis and cell physiology in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The CSampler® accessory will further allow BSC researchers to perform high-throughput fluorescence-based assays for large-scale screening and identification of new avenues for research. Importantly, the ease of setup and use of this instrument makes flow cytometry accessible for researchers at the undergraduate level.Flow cytometry allows researchers to rapidly quantify fluorescence levels in thousands of individual cells within minutes, providing quantitative information about cell populations that can be used to address many important biological and biochemical research questions. Introduction of flow cytometry will impact undergraduate education at Birmingham-Southern College, a primarily undergraduate liberal arts college of approximately 1300 students with well-regarded programs in biology and chemistry. Typically, one-third of each incoming class expresses an interest in the sciences. Though primarily for undergraduate research, this instrument will have a significant impact on teaching, training, and learning due to (1) the research requirement for all natural science majors at BSC and (2) integration of research into the curriculum of BSC?s teaching laboratories. Our intensive senior research programs are among the greatest strengths of the natural sciences at BSC. Every graduate of these majors must engage in a minimum of two terms of research. This instrument will provide senior research students with the opportunity to utilize an important technology not currently available at the College. Acquisition of this flow cytometer will also significantly impact students enrolled in biology and chemistry courses. Flow cytometry will be incorporated into research-based laboratories in Honors Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, exposing students in these courses to flow cytometry data collection and analysis. Students will gain hands-on experience with flow cytometry, impacting the vast majority of science majors at BSC.